Home
by E350
Summary: Gary is very sick and Sandy is being forced to leave Bikini Bottom. All in all, this is not a good time for Spongebob Squarepants, and it's only going to get worse. Rated for some dramatic themes; Spandy.
1. Chapter 1: Beginning

Well, here is my second fully Spongebob fic! I hope you enjoy it - it won't be long or epic or anything, but I think you'll like it. :)

**

* * *

Home**

**Chapter One: Beginning**

_Robert walked down the main street of Bikini Bottom, his five-year-old son skipping along behind him. It had been a long day – office work and the worry of sending his son off to school for the first time had nearly exhausted him. However, he had promised to get his son something special if he did well in school, and he meant it._

_He was still thinking of what his child might want – a bike, maybe? – when he felt a tug on his sleeve. Turning around, he found himself looking at the window of the Bikini Bottom Pet Shop._

"_Now, son," he grinned, "You know your mother is allergic to worms. We can't…"_

_He looked at what his son was pointing at. It was a small baby snail, about the size of his palm, with its large, sparkling eyes staring at its visitors._

_He glanced at the price-tag, and winced. $300 was certainly no cheap price…but he _had_ promised to let his son choose his present…_

"_Ok, son," he declared, "If I get you a snail, you have to promise to look after it, and feed it every day…_"

"_I promise, daddy," his son gurgled._

"_OK, then," nodded Robert, "We still need a name…"_

_His son pondered, before snapping his fingers._

"_Gary!" Spongebob decided, brightly._

* * *

"Gary!" called Spongebob.

Many years had passed. Spongebob had grown up, moved out, and gotten his dream job working gruelling hours for minimum pay. In everything he'd done since then, Gary had followed him, and was now much larger and much stronger.

Usually.

Now, Gary crawled to his bowl to get his breakfast, looking somewhat under the weather as he began to eat. He shuddered as he swallowed, making a disgusted face.

"Now Gary, the doctor says you need the medicine in your food," reminded Spongebob, "It can't be that bad, can it?"

He grabbed the medicine vial from the kitchen bench and poured a little into a shot-glass. He then poured it into his mouth.

He swallowed.

He blinked.

He shuddered, and fell onto his face.

"_Meow,_" mewed Gary, in a matter-of-fact tone.

"…I'll have you know that that was delicious," groaned Spongebob, sounding both unconvinced and muffled by the floor.

He climbed to his feet.

"Well, I'd better get going – can't be late for work!" he grinned, running for the door, "Bye Gary!"

Gary heard the door slam, and proceeded to abandon his meal. He slithered upstairs onto his newspaper, and curled up there for a nap.

Before he could nod off, however, he erupted into a coughing fit, and spat a ball of slime from his throat.

Shrugging it off, Gary went back to sleep, letting the slimy ball roll onto the small hill of slime he'd already coughed up during the week.

* * *

"Basically," the chimp said, "The chart shouldn't look like this."

Sandy sighed as the messenger from her bosses pointed a large finance chart on her coffee table. The chart had a general pattern to it – it pointed straight down – but she really didn't see why they couldn't just send it in the mail like everything else.

"I'm here," he continued, "To explain some…cutbacks…in our company. We need to save money and fast, and we're shutting down assets like it's the end of the world."

"…and _how _does this concern me?" asked Sandy, irritably.

"We're cutting the undersea research division," replied the chimp.

"By how much?" quizzed Sandy.

"Entirely."

There was a long silence.

"Look, we greatly appreciate the work you've done for us," sighed the chimp, "But we can't afford to keep you around. We'd prefer to simply…server our ties…"

"So I'm fired, then," groaned Sandy.

"That's about the size of it, ma'am," nodded the chimp, "You have three days before the termination shuttle arrives, and…"

"Wait, shuttle?" quizzed Sandy, confused.

"Yes, a shuttle," affirmed the chimp, "This facility is our property, and we're selling it for spare parts to pay off our debts. You will be free to return to Texas…"

"…and what if I don't wanna go back to Texas?" snapped Sandy.

The chimp blinked.

"What if I wanna stay in Bikini Bottom?" elaborated Sandy.

"Well, no-one is forcing you to get on the shuttle," shrugged the chimp, "It's just that we own not only your house, but the very suit you use to breathe. Living here onwards would be…problematic."

Sandy gnashed her teeth.

"So there ain't nothing I can do?" she asked.

"Not unless you can magically clap your hands and make oxygen, no," replied the chimp, "I'll be seeing you in three days, have your affairs in order by then."

He got up and walked to the door.

"Good day, ma'am," he farewelled, and shut the door behind him.

Sandy looked down and muttered to herself.

"Clap my hands and make oxygen, just who does he think…" she growled.

She looked up again.

"Hmm…I wonder…"

* * *

Around lunchtime, Patrick Star waltzed into Spongebob's house, humming a tune. He had been entrusted to feed Gary his lunch while he was sick, and Patrick didn't want to let his best friend down.

"Hey Gary!" he called, "Lunchtime!"

He walked up to Spongebob's kitchen drawer and picked through it.

"Medicine," he thought to himself, "Medicine, medicine…here it is!"

He grabbed a vile and headed to fetch Gary's bowl, feeling immensely pleased at accomplishing this small task.

If he had only realised that he had not picked up medicine at all…

* * *

...and that's Chapter One. Stayed tuned for Plankton, Squidward and some other stuff. :D


	2. Chapter 2: Complications

Here's chapter two! Including the worst pun ever!

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**Third Kind:** I'm glad that worked as intended, then. :D Thanks for reading!

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**unknown20troper:** I've got the right tone, then. SUCCESS! :P Thanks for the response!

**

* * *

Chapter Two: Complications**

Sandy walked into the store, glancing at the isles as she approached the counter. Standing behind it was a tall, bespectacled goldfish, looking slightly nervous and out of place.

"I-I'm Jeff Goldfish," he stammered, "Welcome to the…um…uh…the Goldfish Emporium."

"Howdy," nodded Sandy, "I'm lookin' for these."

She passed Jeff a list.

"Uh…yes, um, you need, um, some diving equipment, you can, um, find them in the, um, um, the third isle," he nodded.

"Thanks," thanked Sandy, and she headed for the third isle. Jeff turned around to face another store clerk, with whom he was playing chess.

"Who, uh, who's turn is it?" he asked.

"Yours," replied the clerk, in boredom.

Jeff made his move.

"_Checkmate,_" he exclaimed, dramatically.

Sandy walked up the third isle. She picked out a few boxes of diving equipment, throwing them in one of the store's provided baskets. Then her eyes fell on her main target.

"Re-breather," she nodded, "If I can make a few adjustments…"

She picked it off the shelf and put it in the basket, before walking away to pay.

* * *

"This is the Krusty Krab," Squidward sighed uninterestedly into the phone, "How can I help you?"

It was a slow day at the Krusty Krab. It was a reasonably warm day and a Saturday, so most of Bikini Bottom's inhabitants were down near Goo Lagoon.

"_Yeah, this is the Bikini Bottom Veterinary Clinic, I understand that Spongebob Squarepants works here?_"

"Sadly, yes," groaned Squidward, "I'll give you to him."

He walked out from behind the register and called out.

"Spongebob!" he yelled, "Phone call!"

Spongebob ran out of the kitchen. Squidward handed him the phone and walked outside to take in the ocean.

It was indeed a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the scallops chirped and the water was warm. Squidward sighed, lamenting the fact that he had to waste his life in this dump.

Still, this wasn't an especially bad day.

At this point, Squidward was hit in the back of the head by the door, and promptly fell on his face.

"Spongebob!" he snapped, climbing to his feet.

Spongebob skidded to a halt just before the road.

"Squidward!" he called, "I gotta go to the vet! Cover for me!"

He ran into the distance.

Squidward huffed.

"Who does he think I am, his fall guy?" he sniffed, walking back into the restaurant.

* * *

Patrick stood in the Vet Office, drooling as the head vet, Dr. Forrest, threw questions at him.

"How did you let this happen?" he demanded, "What did you do? What did you _feed_ him? Are you even listening to me, Mr. Star?"

"Listening to what?" asked Patrick.

Dr. Forrest groaned.

The door burst open, and Spongebob ran in, skidding across the marble floor and bouncing off Patrick.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Squarepants," nodded Dr. Forrest.

"Doctor!" gasped Spongebob, "Is he OK? Is he OK? Is he OK? Is he…"

"Calm down, Mr. Squarepants!" snapped Dr. Forrest, "Gary is in the operating room. Follow me."

He led the sponge and the starfish into the operating room. Spongebob gave a sharp gulp.

Gary lay on the bed, breathing heavily. His slimy form was pale and discoloured, and there was a noticeable wheeze to his voice. His eyes were drooped and bloodshot.

"See!" grinned Patrick, "He's _fine!_"

Dr. Forrest glared.

"Mr. Star, please get out," he growled.

"See you outside," shrugged Patrick, leaving.

Dr. Forrest grabbed a clipboard, and read from it.

"He's suffered major food poisoning," he stated, "This is combined with his current illness, and his general age. How long have you had him again?"

"Since I was five," replied Spongebob.

"Impressive life span," nodded Dr. Gilliam, "Most snails die a lot earlier then this. Anyway, your snail's condition is extremely serious. We've got him on plasma, but we don't think that'll be enough, in the long run."

He sighed.

"There's still a chance of operating," he continued, "But if we fail, and there's a very high chance, we'll just end up hurting him even more. You've got a choice – we can operate or I can overdose him on anaesthetic."

"Anaesthetic?" mused Spongebob, "Would that help him?"

"It would…you know the term…put him to sleep."

Spongebob did a double-take.

"No!" he snapped, "I'm not doing that! That's a horrible thing to suggest!"

"Alright, we'll operate on him overnight," nodded Dr. Forrest, reluctantly, "We'll call you if anything comes up. In the meantime, I'd suggest you find something to occupy yourself. Getting worked up is bad for your health."

"Can't I stay, doc?" asked Spongebob.

"No," replied Dr. Forrest, "You'd do more harm then good. We don't work well under pressure."

"Alright," sighed Spongebob, "I'll go on home, then."

"Call a friend," advised Dr. Forrest, as Spongebob left, "Advisably not Mr. Star."

* * *

The phone rang just as Sandy got in the phone.

"Dagnabbit, it's five at night," she snapped, "I've only got a few nights, I can't…ugh."

She picked up the phone.

"Cheeks Residence?"

"_Yeah, Sandy?_ _It's Spongebob._"

Well, there went tonight's work.

"Spongebob, can this wait?" asked Sandy, "I'm kinda in the middle of somethin'."

"_Yeah, but…but…I really need someone over and the doctor…err…and I can't ask Pat and…and…"_

His voice noticeably cracked.

"_J-just come over, OK?_"

"Spongebob, what's wrong?" quizzed Sandy.

"_I'll explain when you get here, I-I-I just need someone, alright!_"

"Alright, I'm coming," replied Sandy.

Spongebob had already hung up.

Sandy looked at her supplies. She really needed to work on this, and any times lost couldn't be regained. On the other hand, Spongebob did sound like he needed somebody over.

She gave an annoyed grunt, and put her air helmet back on.

* * *

The name 'Dr. Forrest' comes from the Spongebob wiki. ISN'T THAT A RELIABLE SOURCE ONEONEONE.


	3. Chapter 3: Changes

As I said earlier, this one's going to be short. I was aiming for five to six chapters, in fact. So if anything in this seems abrupt, that is why.

Review replies:

**1uvakindmon:** Thanks very much!

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**FluffOverdose:** Can't go wrong with a bit of Spandy. :P Thanks!

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**icearrows1200:** You'll see...maybe. :] Thank you!

**TweenisodeOrange:** Nope, I'm unfamiliar. Danke!

* * *

**Chapter Three: Changes  
**

_Who does he think I am, his fall guy?_

Squidward groaned as he left work after a long, hard day of being Spongebob's fall guy.

His joints ached, and he was looking forward to a shower when he got home. It'd be nice, he thought, if Spongebob didn't interrupt him this time. Then again, he could hardly wish for miracles.

As he walked home, he passed two men at a bus-stop. One was wearing an expensive suit, while the other was a chimp in an airsuit. It was more then a bit conspicuous.

"So," the suited man (a red fish) asked, "Did you talk to the squirrel?"

"Certainly did," chuckled the chimp, "It's amazing how easily you can fake credentials these days."

"Amazing indeed," nodded the suited man, "So, once the squirrel is moved out, we move in on the property, tear it down, and build our client's little…real-estate project on the land."

"Amazing how much he's paying just for us to blow up a dome," mused the chimp.

"Must have some big plans," pondered the suited man, "Anyway, it doesn't affect us, does it? By the way, keep quite on the deal – you know that this is highly illegal…"

Squidward walked out of earshot. He had overheard the conversation, but he didn't register any significance until he reached his front door.

The only squirrel in Bikini Bottom was Sandy, so obviously they were trying to destroy her house. Maybe he should tell her…

Then he decided that it was not his problem, and walked inside.

* * *

"So what you're sayin' is that Patrick poisoned Gary and now he's at the vet," repeated Sandy.

Spongebob sniffled.

"Uh-huh," he nodded, "And…and then the vet…wanted to put him to sleep, and he said he might not…"

Spongebob began to sob wildly into the armrest of his couch.

"Hey, hey," reassured Sandy, "He's gonna be fine, you just need to take your mind off it."

"O-OK," sniffled Spongebob, "M-maybe there'll be something nice on TV…"

He switched on the TV.

"…_with a massive war on the horizon…"_

Click.

"…_our situation is shockingly grim…"_

Click.

"…_oh my go-terrible, _terrible_ damage!"_

Click.

"…_and now it's time for the rap hour."_

Spongebob turned of the TV.

"Or maybe not," he sighed.

He glanced anxiously at the phone.

"So, um, how's…things?" he asked, rubbing his fingers together.

_I'm bein' kicked outta my house and now I've gotta build a new airsuit from scratch,_ Sandy thought, bitterly, _How do you _think _things are?_

"They're good, they're good," she nodded.

"Good," Spongebob grinned half-heartedly, glancing at the phone again, "Um…yeah…did you ever wonder what happened to the Krusty Krab 2?"

"Sometimes," shrugged Sandy.

"I mean, it was there one day and now it's gone," nodded Spongebob.

There was a long pause.

"Weird," he added.

There was another pause.

"Got something on your mind?" asked Sandy.

"Yeah," nodded Spongebob, "You?"

"Yep."

"Yeah," Spongebob whispered.

* * *

Several hours passed.

Spongebob and Sandy were still sitting on the couch. Sandy had fallen asleep a while ago, and Spongebob was barely staying awake. He was watching the late night shows on the TV to keep him awake, in case the phone rang.

"_John, I thought you loved me!"_

"_I do, Mary…but I love this sock puppet more!_"

"_Tune in next week, when Sock Puppet is involved in a terrible Laundromat accident. Will it survive?"_

There was a sudden, high pitched ringing, and Sandy stirred. Spongebob quickly picked up the phone.

"Doctor?" he asked.

Sandy sat up as Spongebob listened to what the doctor had to say.

"What?...what do you mean…don't do anything, I'll be right there!"

He slammed the phone onto the receiver and turned around, panicking.

"What is it?" asked Sandy, concerned.

"We've gotta go!" screeched Spongebob, running for the door.

"Spongebob!" snapped Sandy, "What in tarnation…"

Spongebob briefly turned around.

"Something went wrong," he replied, trembling, "He's gotten worse."

* * *

Dr. Forrest had been working for about five hours, and it was with a good deal of satisfaction that he drank from his mug in his office.

There was a crash, and Spongebob bolted into the room. With a yelp, Dr. Forrest was tackled to the ground.

"Where is he? I need to…"

"Calm down, Mr. Squarepants, calm down!" exclaimed Dr. Forrest, as Sandy walked into the office, "Panicking won't help anyone!"

"What's the problem, doc?" asked Sandy.

Dr. Forrest picked himself up, and read from his clipboard.

"Acute food poisoning," he replied, "Added onto a severe relapse of his current illness. He started to convulse half-an-hour ago, so we had to sedate him."

"So, now what?" asked Spongebob, "You can still…"

"Follow me," ordered Dr. Forrest.

The vet led the duo through the back door of his office, to the operating table. Gary lay on his side, wheezing. His slime was pale and colourless, and his eyes were bloodshot. Every now and then, he'd give out a mournful purr.

"Gary…" whispered Spongebob.

"We did everything we could, Mr. Squarepants," sighed Dr. Forrest.

"Well, do something…" began Spongebob.

Dr. Forrest turned and looked Spongebob in the eye.

"There's nothing we can do."

There was a long silence.

"It won't hurt," continued Dr. Forrest, biting his tongue, "Usually takes about thirty seconds, if you…"

"No," snapped Spongebob.

"Mr. Squarepants," snapped Dr. Forrest, "Look at him! He's not going to make it through the night whatever we do! This is the least painful way for him to go."

Sandy put a hand on his shoulder.

"Spongebob," she implored, "He's right."

Spongebob gave a heavy gulp.

"I…can I at least say…"

"You may observe the process, if you want," nodded Dr. Forrest.

Spongebob shut his eyes, and nodded.

"OK then," nodded Dr. Forrest, solemnly, "Ms. Cheeks, if you could wait outside for a few minutes?"

"Sure," nodded Sandy, leaving the room.

Spongebob picked up Gary and held him in his arms as Dr. Forrest readied the syringe.

"Well, buddy," he sniffled, "Guess this is goodbye…I love you, Gare Bear."

Gary gave a feeble meow.

Spongebob held him tightly as the Doctor injected the needle.

* * *

Sandy paced in the waiting room. With a clack, she heard the door open.

Spongebob walked out of Dr. Forrest's office, his eyes watering.

"Spongebob, are you…" began Sandy.

Spongebob held her into an embrace and cried.

* * *

**Author's Note:** For a while, I deliberated on whether or not I'd actually do that. I decided to stick to my guns and do so, but I'm not happy about it. I wanted to get an emotional reaction from this story and, well, this was the only way I can think of. It's not a useless death or anything, it will be important to the story. But I understand that a lot of people will be upset at my decision, and I fully understand such a reaction

I'm sorry for any disturbance caused by the ending of this chapter.


	4. Chapter 4: Empathy

I hope you like Squidward. :}

Review replies;

**unknown20troper:** Uh, no, that's a typo. If it means anything, I had just watched Doctor Who, though. Thanks for reading!

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**SOLmaster:** I'm afraid so...but keep reading, I've got something planned for the ending. ;) Thanks for the response!

* * *

**Chapter Four: Empathy**

Eugene H. Krabs stood impatiently outside his office, glancing at the clock in frustration. It was already nine o'clock, but his fry cook was nowhere to be seen.

Squidward disinterestedly read from his magazine as the clock ticked by. Who cared if the little twerp was late? It meant less time that he had to put up with him, after all.

At last the door entered, and Spongebob walked in, escorted by Sandy.

"Boy!" snapped Mr. Krabs, "You…"

He stopped mid-sentence.

Spongebob's eyes were red and ringed, and his nose looked stuffed. He looked as though he hadn't slept, and he kept letting out quick pants.

"…don't look so good," finished Mr. Krabs, "D'you get lost in the perfume department again?"

"W-what are you talking about?" quizzed Spongebob, suppressing a sob, "I-I'm fine!"

"Yeah, we're gonna need to talk about that," sighed Sandy, "Something…bad happened last night?"

"What?" interrupted Squidward, "Did he lose his nametag again? Or was it his hat? Little t…"

"Gary got put down," informed Sandy, "Now shut it."

Squidward did a double-take.

"I see," nodded Mr. Krabs, grimly, "You sure ye can work, boy? I can give you the day off?"

"N-no, Mr. K-Krabs," replied Spongebob, "I-I-I think flipping patties will get my mind of the…the…the…"

He lost his composure and began to weep.

"Ok, you are in no condition to work today," grunted Mr. Krabs, "Go home, get yourself over it and come back when you're ready."

Spongebob sniffled, and gave a nod. He tried to reply, but his response cracked into faint gibberish and he walked out the door. Sandy gave a mouthed 'thanks' and followed him.

"Looks like I get some peace today," grinned Squidward.

Mr. Krabs shot him a dark glare.

"What?" demanded Squidward.

His boss shook his head and walked back into his office.

* * *

The day wore on, and Squidward rapped the cash register as he waited for a customer. Mr. Krabs was working the kitchen, but he had gone to count his money. That meant if anyone ordered, they would be getting Squidward's cooking.

Unsurprisingly, there was no rush to buy.

Squidward began to regret forgetting his magazine that morning when he heard a whisper.

"Hey, I've seen you before!"

Squidward looked up. A chimp in a red airsuit was studying him, his arms crossed.

"…yeah?" asked Squidward, confused.

"You work here," noted the chimp.

"Glad you've noticed."

"Yes, I definitely know you," nodded the chimp, "The sardonic one – the one who has to put up with that bizarre square all day – your patience must be truly commendable."

"Uhh…thanks," nodded Squidward, "You ordering?"

"No," replied the chimp, "I'm just here to tell you that the sponge may not be a problem to you soon enough."

Squidward raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, I'm sure you know of our plan to demolish that ridiculous Treedome and run the squirrel from town," began the chimp, "Don't say anything, I saw you last night. Anyway, it was a hired job, someone wanted the land, I don't know – anyway, our employer had an added contract dealing with Mr. Squarepants."

He gave a chuckle.

"That idiot starfish," he continued, "Made a brilliant unwitting pawn, you know. We exchanged the sponge's…mutt's medicine for hot sauce – spicy foods are _not_ good for animals. Idiot didn't even check the label."

He chuckled again, and Squidward clenched his fists unconsciously.

"Of course, that's not all," replied the chimp, "If we are working to schedule, Howard will be knocking on Squarepants' door today, telling him that there has been an…unfortunate accident and the continued life of the idiot starfish depends on his willingness to leave town, if you catch my drift."

"You're gonna run him out of town?" demanded Squidward.

"Naturally," nodded the chimp, "Our employer was very specific – both of them and the star must be run out of town for the full payment. I can't imagine why he'd consider them a threat, but there you go. Anyway, you know the funniest thing?"

He gave a snort of laughter.

"I saw the idiot this morning, after he left this place," he snickered, "He's going around acting like he's lost anything of value, moping and screaming like his parents died or something. That look on his face…"

He clashed condensing grin.

"Priceless," he sneered.

"Get out," snapped Squidward, automatically.

The chimp blinked.

"I'm sorry?" he quizzed.

"I said, get out!" shouted Squidward, stepping out from behind the register, "Get out before I call the cops"

"What do you care?" snapped the chimp, "You don't even like…"

Squidward turned to a table and grabbed a patty from a confused customer.

"No-one is allowed to talk about Spongebob like that _except me!_" he shouted, hurling the patty at the chimp's helmet.

He stormed out the door, got into a boat and drove away.

The chimp blinked.

"I'm fairly certain that boat was mine," he murmured to himself.

* * *

Squidward stopped, and got out of the car.

"He'd better fix this," he snapped, "The guy owes him…"

He continued to murmur as he stormed in the front gate of King Neptune's castle.

* * *

There's only one-two chapters left! (it depends on whether or not I do an epliogue.)


	5. Chapter 5: Resolution

I'm going to admit, I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but I wanted to finish this as THIS LITERALLY TOOK TWO MONTHS.

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**strawberry jelly:** Thanks very much!

**Pyrze4132:** Is it not the best humour? Thanks for the review!

**TweenisodeOrange:** Ouch. My condolences. Anyway, this is the last chapter. Thanks for reading!

**DovenGrenade:** Indeed - Squidward being nice is the only disaster that _wasn't_ in 2012. :P Thanks for reviewing!

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**Cartoonatic55:** Well, Neptune's in this chapter, so we'll see... Thanks a lot!

* * *

**Chapter Five: Resolution**

At roughly lunchtime, a red fish in a business suit strode confidently up to the door of Spongebob's pineapple. He adjusted his tie, and knocked four times.

There was a long pause.

He knocked again.

"Ain't no-one home!" came the reply.

"Yes there is," snapped the fish.

"Now ain't the time!"

"This is important!"

There was a pause, and the door opened. Sandy crossed her arms and stared expectantly. The fish suppressed a smirk.

"And you are…" demanded Sandy.

"Howard Rutherford," replied the fish, "No relation to Howard Blandy. I have a message for a Mr. Squarepants."

"Just leave it at the door," snapped Sandy, "He ain't in the mood."

"Yeah, that's kind of the thing," replied Howard, rubbing the back of his head, "It's a ransom note for a Mr. Patrick Star."

"…so, basically, Patrick is being held by an unnamed group, and will be released if you leave town," replied Howard.

"And you know this _how?_" asked Sandy, sceptically.

"…police negotiator," mumbled Howard, quickly.

"So basically," breathed Spongebob, "I've lost my snail, I'm losing my friend, and now I have to leave Bikini Bottom."

He nodded, and buried his head in his hands.

"Spongebob?" asked Sandy, concerned, "You okay?"

At that moment, water began to spurt out of his holes. Spongebob rolled onto his back, sobbing (tears coming from both his eyes and his holes) uncontrollably.

Howard suppressed a grin.

At this point, there was a knock on the door.

"Howard!" a voice yelled, "Howard! We've got a problem!"

The door opened, and the chimp burst into the room, looking worried.

"You?" demanded Sandy, "What are you doing here?"

Howard gave the chimp an expectant (and slightly exasperated) glance.

"Um…I'm here about…err…" the chimp began to stammer.

And then, another figure entered the room.

"Spongebob?" called Patrick, holding a box in his hand, "I heard about Gary, and I wanted to make you feel better, so I made you a pizza…who are these guys?"

Howard facepalmed.

Sandy gritted her teeth, and strode angrily up to Howard and the chimp.

"Alright, you varmints," she snarled, "Unless you wanna be kicked from here to Texas, you'd better start explaining."

"It's-it's just a job!" gulped Howard, "We got hired to run you, the sponge and that pink blob outta town! I-i-i-it's nothing personal!"

"Yes, rest assured, we did not at all enjoy poisoning his snail," added the chimp.

Spongebob looked up from his sobbing fit, looking shocked.

Howard glared at his partner.

Sandy clenched her fists.

"_What did you say?_" she demanded, seething with rage.

"Oh, I swear to Neptune…" groaned Howard.

"_YES! YOU DO!_"

There was an almighty bang, and the giant form of King Neptune crashed through the wall, trident glowing.

After a moment, Squidward followed him in, muttering about the uses of a door.

"K-King Neptune?" gasped Howard.

"Look away, subjects," ordered King Neptune, fire appearing at the end of his trident, "This is going to get ugly!"

He aimed the trident at the two criminals.

* * *

One royally-decreed beat-down later, King Neptune had gathered Spongebob and his friends (and Squidward) outside. His squire had taken the two (now scorched) criminals away, and the king had fixed Spongebob's wall.

"Good riddance, I say!" snapped King Neptune, "That was the international con-artist Howard Rutherford and his partner. He's been at large for _years!_"

"How come we never heard of him 'till now?" asked Sandy.

King Neptune paused, and then shrugged.

"Anyway, the point is that he has been brought to justice, thanks to you two, Squidward and Patrick!" he boomed, "And you shall all be rewarded…"

"What did I do?" asked Patrick.

King Neptune shrugged again.

Spongebob wiped his eyes and looked up at the king's face, still looking upset.

"Thanks, your highness but…but I don't want a reward," he replied, "I…I just…"

"Let me guess," nodded King Neptune, "You want gold? Power? Or maybe just…"

He twisted the knob on his trident and fired it at the ground. There was a flash and then…

"…this?" finished King Neptune, grinning.

Gary the Snail was sitting where Neptune had zapped.

"Gary…" gasped Spongebob.

Gary meowed, and slithered over to Spongebob.

"_Gary!_"

Spongebob grabbed his snail and hugged him tightly, laughing. He began to cry again, but this time, he cried of happiness.

"…you can bring things back to life?" quizzed Squidward.

"Yes, I can," nodded King Neptune, "But, Spongebob, I ask you to look after little Gary, and savour every moment with him – you never know how long you have left."

He threw away the greeting card he'd been reading from.

"Well, I'd better go home, there are people to throw in the dungeons, you know," farewelled King Neptune, "Farewell."

With that, he left.

"Yeah, I'll be going too," sighed Squidward, "Anyone wants me, I'll be in the shower."

He strode into his house and slammed the door.

"Well, ain't that a nice ending to all this," grinned Sandy.

Her face fell.

"One thing that's still bugging me," she mused, "Who'd wanna run us outta town?"

"I dunno," shrugged Patrick, "Pizza?"

Sandy looked into the box and gagged.

Spongebob finished hugging Gary and looked his snail in the eyes.

"Gare-bear," he grinned, "You and me are gonna stick together for a long time yet, right?"

Gary meowed, and licked his owner.

* * *

_Robert walked past his son's room, on his way to bed. It had been a long day, and he was ready to sleep._

_He stopped at Spongebob's door, and looked inside. The little sponge lay in his bed. The tiny snail they'd bought today was snuggled up in his arms, and both were sound asleep._

_Robert gave a light chuckle, and shut the door._

**THE END**

* * *

Okay_,_ a word of advise for anyone who wants to write a dramatic Spongebob fic - plan it out first. By that, I mean 'think of a beginning, a middle and an end' not 'think of a basic idea you had on a walk and roll with it'. That's where I went wrong here - I had an idea and no clue how to execute it.

But, I finished it, and that's the main thing. Thanks to everyone for reading, I hope I haven't dissapointed you, and I'll see you around. :)_  
_


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